Los Olivos may be small, but it punches above its weight when it comes to dining. And, unlike ultra pricey Napa Valley, dining out in the best Los Olivos restaurants won’t make you feel like you need to remortgage your home when you get back from your wine country vacation.
In between your visits to downtown Los Olivos’ best tasting rooms, drop in for a bite, enjoy a relaxing happy hour, or settle in for a meal to cap off your day. If you need some winery outfit idea inspiration, stop by this post for Winery Dress Ideas for When You Want Something Easy.
Bar Le Cote
If you’re really, really into food, you’ve probably heard of Bar Le Cote’s sister restaurant in Los Alamos, Bell’s. If you’ve been to Bell’s, or read about it, you’re going to love Bar Le Cote.
Bar Le Cote describes itself as “elegant, yet approachable seafood,” and having dined there, I’d say that’s pretty spot on. The dining room is small and intimate with cozy little candles at each table, and the servers are friendly and eager to ensure you have a great experience.
When it comes to the menu at Bar Le Cote, you will find tons of local gems that you can only get regionally. Think: Santa Barbara Sea Urchin (yum!), Santa Barbara Halibut (caught right off the coast), Spot Prawns, Rock Crab, and spiny California lobster.
The dining room is small and intimate with cozy little candles at each table, and the servers are friendly and eager to ensure you have a great experience.
Pro Tip 1: Bar Le Cote’s wine list features wines from some popular downtown Los Olivos wine tasting rooms, so if you try a wine you really like, you can swing in for a full wine flight the next day. You can’t go wrong with a bottle of Storm Wines, Solminer, or Stolpman.
Pro Tip 2: Break up your day of wine tasting with happy hour at Bar Le Cote. Available 3PM to 5PM with snacks like peel and eat shrimp, seasonal salads, oysters, fries, and more.
Nella Kitchen & Bar
Located in the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, Nella’s Kitchen is a must visit. I’m not embarrassed to say that I ate at Nella Kitchen & Bar twice the last time I visited Los Olivos – it’s that good.
If the weather is nice (i.e. not 100 degrees like it can be during peak summer month), the patio is the place to dine. Inside, you will feel like you’re enjoying a meal in a quaint wine country inn (which, technically, you are).
The menu is built to satisfy hungry wine lovers who need to fill their bellies between wine tastings, or winedown after a day strolling through downtown Los Olivos.
A light Melon Salad with juicy pieces of melon, tangy feta crisp cucumber and refreshing mint is a customer favorite. You can’t go wrong with a creamy Burrata starter or Tuna Tartar. But the real star here is the pizza, served flatbread style with a crust that’s closer to focaccia, rather than plain-old pizza crust. Share a pizza with your group at this fab Los Olivos restaurant and then head to your next wine tasting happy and content.
Pro Tip 1: Technically reservations are required at Nella Kitchen: this, after all, one of the most popular Los Olivos restaurants. If you forget to make a reservation, or you
Pro Tip 2: The cocktails at Nella Kitchen are delish, and a welcome break for your palate in between wine tastings.
The Tavern at the Inn at Mattei’s Tavern
The Tavern is the restaurant at the Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, an Auberge hotel in Los Olivos. This is one of the few restaurants in Los Olivos that is open for breakfast, brunch (on Sundays), lunch, and dinner. If you happen to be staying at the Auberge, it’s a one-stop shop for all of your dining needs.
This ranch-inspired menu uses ingredients sourced from local farms, orchards, and, you guessed it, ranches. Dishes like Dry-Aged Porterhouses, whole fresh fish, and veggies from the garden are cooked in an old fashioned wood-fire oven for maximum flavor.
You can also dig into light Ocean Trout served with onion soubise, roasted mushrooms, pickled onion relish, Heritage Half-Chicken with roasted kohlrabi, english pea puree, pea tendrils, natural jus, or the Tavern Strip with creme fraiche fingerling potatoes, onion rings, compound butter. Yum!
If you go for breakfast or brunch, request patio seating, it overlooks Pinterest worthy raised beds gardens and a cute little greenhouse (where the hotel does private wine tastings, by the way).
Take a look at my full review of The Tavern restaurant at Mattei’s here.
Pro Tip 1: You don’t have to be a guest at the hotel to dine at the restaurant. It’s open for lunch and dinner, so give it a try.
Pro Tip 2: Have a drink in the bar before dinner – whether you’re having dinner at Mattei’s Tavern, or your plans include visiting another Los Olivos restaurant. This classy saloon-themed watering hole is just dripping with old timey Western vibes.
Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe
Located across the street from Nella Kitchen & Bar, is the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe. Of all the downtown Los Olivos restaurants, this spot has the largest menu, and the most offerings. If you’re traveling with a group and everyone is in the mood for something different, this is where you should dine.
The lunch menu includes everything from seasonal salads, to hearty sandwiches (everything from classic Turkey Clubs to tantalizing Pastrami on Rye), seared ahi tacos, juicy burgers, or lighter wraps.
With nearly 1,000 positive reviews online, Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe is a definite crowd pleaser.
Pro Tip: Try the Late Lunch menu, which is like a happy hour menu, features $3 off all items on the Late Lunch Menu, $3 off wines by-the-glass and $2 off draft beers.
FAQs
What is Bell’s sister restaurant in Los Olivos?
The team behind Bell’s in Los Alamos has a seafood restaurant in Los Olivos called Bar Le Cote. If you visit, you’re in for hyper local seafood and a chef-driven menu that is elegant and approachable.
Is Los Olivos worth visiting?
100% absolutely yes! Los Olivos is so welcoming and unpretentious, and the food and wine scene here is better than Napa, in my opinion. I will never turn down the chance to visit this low-key California wine region, and I guarantee you will have a blast when you visit too!